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T,^0 colored Map showing fully the topog- 
raphy of the GrGitnd'S, ivibh ajfaU arul com- 
plete clescriptiojh of the prjp&rty, terms and 
stipulations, can he seen at our of%ce. 

T&im. Ave., Cor. 11th street^ 

WASHIJSrGTOAf. I). C. 



The advantages of a City are manifold and appa- 
rent; cities have paved streets, fine stores, churches, 
opera houses, and many places of amusement, and there- 
fore, a man of large income prefers to live in the city 
where his money can command all the luxuries. But 
there are draw backs of many kinds in a city life. The 
close crowded population, the contagious diseases, 
blinding, burning heat in the summer, small stifling 
tenement houses, and a want of freedom of children 
at play — the close proximity of vice in many forms, is 
a crying evil against which many parents strive in 
vain to guard their children against. 

Many denizens of Washington and the surrounding 
cities who are in receipt of limited income, and who 
live in a crowded quarter, renting a house and paying 
for a shelter a high rate, and only looking upon it aa a 
stopping place for the time, naturally pine for a home 
of their own, where, under the shadow of their own vine 
and fig tree, they can feel that they have found a haven 
of rest, and here, in their rural home, they can have 
iresh air, trees and flowers, pure water, fresh fruits and 
vegetables, milk and butter — all the result of their own 
labors, and live where there is freedom from taxation 
and vicious neighbors. 

Such is the dream of many a wearied, tired man, 
who returning, after a hard days work to his small rent- 



.iEJT-iGTON PARK, 



fir: Ix'juse ia ''."ho liot citv, only eie^liB lioavily thut his 
rli'oa'n cannot cuixe IrvC. For these rnaiiil}', and others, 
^'nc- t ;v:ii of Abii.:.rto;: rark was ImicI out, aucl by look- 
in»:' i.ji ^-he man it will be seen that it has been our de- 
sipTi to satisfy in somem-t'asure eveiy reasonable want. 
Theivi are lots C'T vi;rioiib sizes. Public grounds, lartce 
ativl S'"oal', vrir^^ aMd bvoad stroets, a beautiful river 
near, ani^ scere^y of rare loveliness. Positions have 
beuu allotted to ibc I'utare tovv n ball, churches, and 
schoul houses. Sir all lots for those whose means per- 
mit only a small oxpendiluie, are grouped in the vici- 
nity of the public reservations, so that the largest num- 
ber ofpert'njHcau enjoy them whilst larger lots and more 
dis+'.;nt.from the centre, and especially on the heights, 
can be bougnt by t}i o^o men who ate disposed to cre- 
ate all thf. beauty around their homes which they may 
desire. Even a cursory examination of this plan will 
show that the rectilinear and right angular sy&tem of 
town braldine bpa been abandoned, iirst, 'oecauae it is 
not well adapted to a rolling country like Abiugton 
Park ; second, because on the whole, gently curving 
lines are more agreeable to travel over, are shorter dis- 
tance between ir.\portant poiius, and will make the 
completed tovsi'n more beautiful. Every part of the 
town has been laid out for convenience and beauty, 
much c;f the land is given to the public in avenues, 
greens, coiiamont'. roads and pai'ks. To open this coun- 
try and make it as convenient a place to live in as the 
city. The Proprietor has made the roads broad with 
wide sidewalks. 



ALEXANDEIA COUNTY, VA. 



The roads and avenues with very fevr exceptions, are 
60 or 75 feet wide. The line for the house fronts is set 
far enough back from the front line of the lots to en,- 
sure a broad space between the opposite houses, and 
gives an air of spaciousness and even grandeur to the 
streets when the town has grown to maturity. Each 
lot is large enough after the house is built, to contain 
stable for horse and cow, as well as ample room for a 
garden sufficient to supply a family with vegetables 
and fruit. 



Next to wide streets, the most important fact is 
water ; without that necessity near all comfort is at an 
end. And that is the nearly insurmountable difficulty 
that the projectors of surburban towns and villages 
lying in level or low lands have to contend against. 
The Abington Park land is well supplied with springs, 
they bubble in every valley and burst out in a score 
of places in the hillsides. At the south side of the 
town is the Four Mile Run Creek with the purest of 
water running on sand and pebblj^ bottom ; it is in- 
tended to erect a force pump, and by an iron pipe 
furnish each dwelling with water. The water of this 
creek, which empties into the Potomac River, comes 
from numberless spriiigs from the upper country, which 
is a gravelly region without a suspicion of lime in it. 

Lying as it does on the turnpike and double track 
rail-road — immediately between two large cities — 



ABINGTON PARK, 



Washington but two miles distant and Alexandria but 
four, the situation is all that can be desired. Hourly 
trains stop at Hunter's Station which is immediately at 
the town. The last train leavesWashington at midnight 
so as to give accommodation to those who desire to 
attend yjlaces of amusement. The cars stop at every 
hour for local passengers and the depot at each ter- 
minus is in the centre of the city. In five minutes you 
are in either city. The local trains of this road con- 
nect with the trains going West and I^orth, via. Balti- 
more and Potomac Rail-road. As soon as this town 
gets fairly started a new and substantial way station 
will be built. Ten minutes will take a gentleman to 
the centre of the city where the Departments are, mak- 
ing Abington Park actually nearer the business part of 
the city than either the Capitol Hill or the jSTavyYard. 

The one fault, and the only one that can possibly be 
brought againt this location is the state ot the turnpikes 
between Washington and Alexandria ; many persons 
would object to driving along a turnpike, parallel to 
which is a rail-road with running trains, tor fear of the 
frightening of their horses. This is an objection, and 
if it was insuperable, would be a grave one, but a few 
words of explanation as the case stands now, will con- 
vince the mo^t unreasoning tl.at this trouble will soon 
be ended. Just before the close of t!ie A^irginia Leg- 
islature, in April, 1874, the said Assembly passed a 
bill that a new road should be built or constructed be- 
tween Alexandria and Washington naming Alexander 
Hunter, 1). Windsor and others directors, granting 



ALEXANDRIA COUNTY, VA. 



them power to form a stock company, with a capital 
not exceeding seventy-five thousand dollars. The 
Governor approved the bill and it is now a law. Ne- 
_^otiations are now in progress with the rail-road com- 
pany to obtain the turnpike. When this is done im- 
mediate action will be taken. The company will be 
formed, bonds issued, the turnpike will be widened 
thirty feet, and a palisade sixteen feet high erected, 
shutting from view the passing trains; within a year's 
time it is confidently expected, that the turnpike will 
be all that it should be, and will, deservedly, be 
■one of the most fashionable drives in the vicinity of 
the National Capitol. 

Bounding Abington Park on the west is the George- 
town road, connecting with Washington and Alex- 
andria turnpike by the Potomac Boulevard, one hun- 
dred feet wide, forming a most charming drive of over 
one thousand yards. The Georgetown road is one of 
the finest in the country, and passes through romantic 
scenery to three miles away from Georgetown, Two 
miles from Abington Park, on this road, is Arlington 
Heights, once the home of Gen. E,. E, Lee, but now 
the U. S. Soldiers' Cemetery. This is one of the most 
frequented resorts in the vicinity of Washington. 
The Georgetown roads connect with several excellent 
country roads leading through the country, and to the 
cities. By looking at the map it will be seen, that 
Abington Park is surrounded by turnpikes and coun- 
try roads, affording easy ingress and egress, and most 
delightful drives. The roads are free roads to Wash- 
ington. The Pennsylvania Central have built two 
years ago, one of the most magnificent bridges in the 
Union across the Potomac, and are, by their charter, 
to keep it a free bridge, and collect no toll. 



The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal bounds Abing- 
ton Park on the east, affording them transportation of 
heavy articles, coal, wood, building materials, cheap- 
er than by any other mode, and bringing all freight 
to the very doors. In the winter the Canal would af- 
ford excellent ice to those who desijrn buildiue; ice- 
houses. 

We assert without fear of contradiction, that no 
city in America is surrounded by finer heights and 
more extended elevation, than Abing'ton Park. 
Crowning them is Fort Scott, now deserted, built 
during the war. This was one of the finest earth 
works erected for the defence of the National Capi- 
tal ; the locality was chosen by Gen. McClellan, who 
superiiitended in persbu its erection. Fort Scott 
armament was sixteen heavy guns, and was designed 
to command the turnpike and the intervening space 
to the river. The view from tfiese Heights is simply 
grand to any person with a love for the beautiful ; 
the outlook is a never ending source of delight. One 
mile to the east is the Potomac, in the Indian dialect, 
" the Beautiful River of Swans," with a scope of river 
view below Fort Washington and Mount Vernon, 
twenty miles away. The wmdings of the river can 
be traced, broad and straight to Alexandria, then 
narrowing and becoming tortuous as it reaches Fort 
Foote ; the Maryland side unbroken, with high cliffs 
and woodlands, the V^irginia side opposite, breaks in 



ALEXANDRIA COUNTY, VA. 



creeks, runs and headlanck. The river becomes at 
last to the eje, like a slender silver thread, and then 
is lost in the far distance. All along can be seen in 
endless variety the different crafts, from the stately 
steamer pursuing her steady way, to the little fishing 
smack tacking and turning in curves and circles, and 
then is the pleasing picture of the vessels gliding in 
the distance ; their white sails glistening in the sun- 
light, whilst in the foreground, lying at our feet, is a 
valley green with foliage, with hamlets and villages, 
bounded on the outside by the three cities of Wash- 
ington, Alexandria and Georgetown, all within two 
and three miles. But, in the night time is the scene 
only complete — the view is like enchantment and is 
inexpressibly lovely; the three cities Ijdng at the bot- 
tom of the valley, with their euuntless lamps reflected 
back b}'^ the waters ; the moving lights of the passing 
boats making a brilliant panoramic scene that is rare- 
ly equalled and never surpassed. Nature has done 
her best with but a littje assistance of art; these 
heights will be all that the most exacting could wish. 
Along on the crest are many young shade trees, select- 
ed with great care; there are several groves, young 
yet, but of thrifty growing trees ; there are several 
varieties here, the locust, peach, white oak, hickory, 
white ash, black oak, dogwood, cedar, pine and chest- 
nut oak. This soil and elevation are unsurpassed and 
peculiarly adapted to peach and apple trees, and most 
especially for vineyards, grapes thrive wonderfully on 
these hill sides. These heights are subdivided as Villa 
sites of one and live acres each, so that ample room 
can be had for grounds, garden, orchards and vine- 



10 



ABIXGTON PARK, 



yards. The (lescri])tion of these heights ma}' appear 
overdrawn, hnt a persona] examination is earnestly 
desired; let each see and form his own opinion, be- j 
fore they judge. We desire but to have the property 
personally exiimined. and then it will be found, that 
we have but stated simple facts, nothino- less, nothino; ' 
more. i 



We have spoken ot the accessibility of qn'ck transit | 
by rail, of pleasant drives and walks, and we here of- I 
fer a few concluding remarks : i 

The topography of the country between Washing- I 
ton and Alf^xandria is of a varied character. On the 
east of the rail road to the river, the land is low and 
level, and famous for its fertility; on the right of the 
road, the country is rolling and mountainous, but al- 
ways with a gent.Ie slope. The advantages for towns 
and cities were known many years ago. On this 
range of hills a mile towards Alexandria, General 
Washington chose for the site of the National Capital, 
but fearing that invidious criticism might charge him 
with- selfish and self-intei'ested motives, in selecting 
the sites on Virginia soil, he, against his better judg- 
ment, declared in favor of the heights where the cap- 
itol now stands; this is an historical fact The lands 
here liave not been bi-ought into notice before, be- 
cause the}' were landed estates, a hundred years ago, 
and handed down from father to son, unimpaired in 
fertility and size. In Virginia, especially, the feeling 
against selling even one ancestral acre is strong, more 



ALEXANDRIA COU,XTY, VA. 11 



so than orhers outside of the State eaa imagine, and 
little of any land has passed out of the hands of the 
old fauiilies, whilst other lands in the vicinity of 
Washington, with not a tenth of the attractions of this 
region, has been extensively advertised and brought 
into the market, commanding high prices. The own- 
ers of these lai-ge estates have pursued the even tenor 
of their way, raisi ug their corn aiid wheat, unmindtul 
of their own interests. But the time has come when 
the} are ail alive to progress and enterprise of the pe- 
riod. In a few years the two cities will be joined by a 
continuous town, and land bordering the rail road can- 
not be had at any price. Cities a short distance apart 
always gravitate towards each other: this is the fixed 
law of nature, and now is the time for those to invest 
in lots, while land and building sites are so cheap. 
Abington Park is laid out in lots of various sizes and 
shapes, affording to rich and poor alike the opportu- 
nity of a residence, where constant, quick and cheap 
communication with the city and the simple and 
economical system of self-government, will secure to 
every resident equal rights, and the full enjoyment 
by the humblest resident, of all the advantages obtain- 
ed by the most wealth3\ The millionaire may plant 
his villa, and the honest mechanic his pretty cottage 
at Abington Park, and both will breathe the same 
fresh air, enjoy the same scenery, and derive the 
same political and domestic benefits, and have the 
same opportunities to rear their families in freedom, 
and awny from the allurements and temptations of 
the city. 

The enterprise is a novelty in our part of the coun- 



12 ABTNGTON PARK, ALEX, CO., VA. 

try, and as such and because of its genuine merit, 
has been described at some length. 

The designing and laying oft" was done by Mr. 
Wm. P. Twaniley, engineer and landscape gardener. 

With all favorable conditions, structural, moral, 
social and economical, it is plain that a family's expen- 
ses are much less than in the city, or in most subur- 
ban town. Here the taxes are so light as scarcely to 
be felt ; add to this a most beautiful landscape, an ex- 
cellent climate, i\'e may safely ask, " what city or sub 
urb of a city" can aftbrd greater attractions than 
Abinoton Park. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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